Blog Post

For many dog owners, dog grooming can be quite a challenge. Some dogs do not take to strangers as well as others, making visiting the dog groomer a difficult task.

Prep Your Puppy for Dog Grooming with These 3 Tips

To help make this process easier, we’ve complied some tips to help train your puppy for pet grooming. Training a puppy involves many months of labor. Training a puppy to accept grooming should go along with other puppy training. This short, but comprehensive guide will help your new puppy take to grooming with confidence and ease.

1. Training Your Dog to Stand on a Table

Many puppies are hesitant to stand on tables. Just as you would train your puppy to sit, stand, or lie down, training them to stand on a hard surface, such as a table or kitchen counter will help your dog be more accustomed to dog grooming.

Helping your puppy on to surfaces higher than the couch or your lap will help them become comfortable with being on a surface higher than the ground. Start training your pup to stand on counters and tables by taking every opportunity to do so.

When they are standing on the surface, gently pet and rub them. It’s also beneficial to touch their paws, tails, ears, and muzzle. This will help your pup settle down and feel more comfortable in this new atmosphere.

2. Accepting Brushing for Dog Grooming

Training your puppy to accept brushing is a gradual process. The first few times you brush your puppy should be short, enjoyable, and positive. To do so, start by using a soft, human brush. This won’t get through their coat, but will help them get accustomed to what a brush feels like.

Use the soft brush to go all over the head, neck, body, legs, tail, and stomach and gauge their responses. Many dogs will not protest brushing their coats, but can be sensitive to contact with their paws.

If your dog relaxes and responds positively to the brushing, reward them with treats, praises, and other signs of reward. This will help them prepare for traditional dog grooming.

3. Accepting Nail Clipping

Many puppies are very skittish about getting their nails clipped. The paws are a very sensitive part of all puppies composition, and the nails are just as sensitive.

To train your puppy to accept nail clipping is to increase your contact with their paws. Rubbing and petting their paws will allow them to become more accustomed to contact there, making nail clippings an easier dog grooming endeavor.

Making a game out of touching their paws can be a great way to train your puppy to have a positive reaction to contact. Play-wrestling with your pup while grabbing their paws will help them become more comfortable with contact.

As you implement these into your puppy training routine, introduce them to the nail clipper. Allow them to see, sniff, and hear the sounds the nail clipper makes before actually trimming their nails.

Start your trimming with the paw that your puppy is least concerned about—gradually moving to all four paws. This will help them ease into the nail trimming process.